Tuesday, October 19, 2010

As opposed to ...?

The uncertainty surrounding that event followed an unusually heated TV debate Sunday night, hosted by the University of Louisville, that saw Paul, a trained opthamologist,* and Conway, the state attorney general, trade barbs about each other's character, integrity, and prior statements.

This sort of construction always gives me pause.** What is it that we're distinguishing him from? An amateur ophthalmologist? A weekend ophthalmology reenactor? Somebody who was home-schooled by a mommy and daddy ophthalmologist?* Spelling in the original. Hey. Fox is trying to save you from the looming socialist takeover, and you're complaining about the spelling?
** Especially during the full moon! Thanks, I'll be here all week.

2 Comments:

Not only that, but it's utterly irrelevant. "Hedy Lamarr, holder of U.S. Patent 2292387, died January 19th in Altamonte Springs, Florida" would make about as much sense. Or how about "Paul, the husband of freelance writer Kelley Paul", or "Paul, a member of the Bowling Green Noon Lions Club". All true and all very much not to the point.

(Lamarr's patent was for an early form of WiFi, and was kept under wraps because of its possible military importance.)

The answer to your questions is, more or less, "Yes." Rand Paul is a self-licensed ophthalmologist and doesn't have the official license. Fox is trying to say, "but he's trained; it's not like he works out of a garage or something."